twenty one pilots are one of those bands that you need to see in your lifetime, at least once. You don’t have to be a fan of their music to appreciate the showmanship that goes into every single tour. The thought that goes into the lighting, the set design, the video visuals, even the thousand different costumes, makes the whole show feel like a real production and it’s definitely the best use of space I’ve ever seen in an arena tour.

And it all begins with fire.

That may seem like a dramatic introduction but it’s warranted. Drummer Josh Dun stands in the middle of the stage, torch in hand, still. The crowd roars and everything feels very grandiose. He moves. Singer Tyler Joseph is revealed… standing on a car that is on fire! (You thought I was being dramatic when I said set design). The lighting rig is set in such a way that makes the stage feel open, almost post-apocalyptic; It feels as though the albums concept videos are perfectly homaged as the iconic opening guitar riff of ‘Jumpsuit‘ rings out.

The two-piece attack ‘Levitate’ and ‘Fairly Local’ with 110% energy, setting a precedent for the night to come. It’s worth mentioning that the latter received a mildly warmer reception, but given how huge Blurryface ended up becoming, this comes as no surprise. The crowd is immediately in awe as Tyler appears on the other side of the arena and rips off the mask. Although he did this last tour it’s still really freaking cool.

The following sequence of events include a beanie walking down a street then flying out of the video and onto the stage. Fair enough. It does however lead into ‘Stressed Out’ very well and brings me to the point about their intentions with colour. The band have developed such a strong visual for every era that you can guess what they’re playing purely based of the light show. My point is proven as the lights turn purple and green and everyone in the audience preemptively begin to cheer for ‘Heathens’ (A song that strongly outshines it’s film).

Suddenly the tone changes, Tyler changes costume and pulls out the famous ukulele as the famous first chords of ‘We Don’t Believe What’s On TV’ are strummed. The energy is palpable as Tyler dances across the stage and fans scream the lyrics as loud as they can muster. An energy that continues through fan favourite ElvisPresley cover, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, pop anthem ‘The Judge’ and absolute banger ‘Lane Boy’. Thus ending the ‘wholesome’ portion of the show.

Beginning with ‘Nico and Niners’, the piano portion of the night begins; symbolised with another jacket change and the appearance of yellow flashlights. The boys write a love letter to those from the beginning with the classic ‘Taxi Cab’ that is followed by an absolutely heartbreaking performance of ‘Neon Gravestones’; appropriately there’s a moment of silence after the final line, an unspoken acknowledgement of the song’s importance. It’s a powerful moment.

They continue the show with a slew of bangers from their discography including, the atmospheric anthem ‘Pet Cheetah’, absolute classic ‘Holding On To You’, ‘Ride’ (Which is accompanied by everyone getting on each others shoulders) and the danceable ‘My Blood’, which was introduced with a kiss cam like spotlight, getting dads to dance.

‘Morph’ and ‘Car Radio’ round out the pre-encore end of the show. The latter welcomed like an old friend as the crowd sings every word like a giant yellow choir.

The night ends with ‘Leave The City’ and the traditional ‘Trees’, which never gets old. It’s the best showcase of Tyler’s vocals by far and as everyone lets out the last of the energy, the moment sinks in, in everyone’s minds. This night wasn’t just another gig… it was a performance.